Sectional vestibule-diaphragm.



H. H. SGHROYER.

SEGTIONAL VESTIBULVB DIAPHRAGM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 8, 1912.

Patented May 6, 1913.

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, Specification of Letters Patent.-

To all whom it may 00mm.-

Be it known that-I, HARRY H. 'ScHRoYER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sectional vestibule-Diaphragms; and I do hereby declare'that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to the numbers-of reference marked thereon, whichpform apart of this specification.

Diaphragms for railway car vestibules are subjected to very severe usage. Usually such diaphragms first fail or become. torn or frayed near the lower ends of the legs of the diaphragm. They also become rotted in the inwardly directed V shaped scams or angles which act to hold moisture and dirt or even sparks, with an effect destructive to the life of the diaphragm. Any portion of I the diaphragm may, of course, fail because of bad usage or accident, and-as heretofore constructed, in such instances it has been usual to discard the entire diaphragm and to replace the same with new, inasmuch as the difficulty of repair hasheretofore rendered expense of repair practically prohibitive. This entails a large loss uponthe-owners of'cars equipped with such diaphragnis;

It is the object of this invention to so construct car vestibule diaphragms as to enable any palt thereof to be quickly and economically repaired or replaced without the ne cessity' of detaching from the vestibule as a whole, or any part thereof, exceptthe immediate portion to be repaired, from the face plates.

It is also an object of the invention to so construct a diaphragm as short transverse sections as well as vertical sections, and to so connect and unite the same as to permit any of said sections to be removed from, and replaced in the diaphragm without disturbing any of theremaining sections.

It is an object also of the invention to af-- ford a construction whereby the vertical sec tions of the diaphragm may be centrally and detachably united to permit ready repair and renewal.

The in'vention (in a preferred form) is illustrated in the drawings, and hereinafter more fully described.

to afiord relatively In the drawingsf Figure 1 is a vertical section taken through the diaphragm. Fig. 2 is an enlarged, transverse section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragme'ntarydetail and section of one of the shoulders of the diaphragm. 4: is a Patented May 6, 191 3.

slightly reduced section taken on line 4-&

of Fig. 2, and broken away to illustrate the attaching means.

As shown in the drawings: Relatively short strips-of fabric of suitable width are bent transversely .to afford the U-shaped folds 1, and these are arranged in over.- la'pped relation, the lower end of the upper within the upper. end' of the lower section, as shown in Fig. 1, to afford one of the U- or trough-shaped sections of the diaphragm, and said sections are stitched, stapied or otherwise secured together at their overlapping ends to firmly engage the same together. Each of said vertical sections may be constructed of as many transverse sections as preferred. As shown, however,

the lowersection 2, of each of said vertical sections will be relatively short, and will receive therein the .npper and longer leg section '3, which in turn receives the short segment shaped shoulder or corner sections 4, 5, and 6, the one within the other, and the Said vertical sections are arrangcdside by.

side between the face plates, as shown 1n Fig.2, and indicated respectively by A and B, and with the edges turned outwardly.

The inner edges of each'of said sections may be stitched, stapled or otherwise secured together, as preferred. As shown, said edges are detachably engaged together by means of metallic chums-each as long as the sec'-' tion to which it is engaged and comprising an outer substantially ll-shaped angle bar 8, which fits'over said edges of said vertical sections, inner V-shaped sections 9, which fit between said edges and are stamped to aiford outwardly turned barbs 10, to en gage in the inner side of the fabric, and bolts 11, which engage in the nuts 12', in said inner angle bar or strip and act tofirmly draw and jam all into positive-enphragm,

Wit

gagement with said edges of the sections. As show-n; 111; Figs. 3 andft, the clamping members ,for each upper section of diaclamping n ,nbers for the next lower section and one of said. bolts -11, extends through -said overlapped ends and serves to engage the adjacent ends of- .th'e similar clamping members for adjacent sections together. I j I 1 The outer edge of the outer vertical section of the diaphragm is engaged on the vestibule face plate 13, by means of bolts 14, which engage therethrough' and through said edge .of the diaphragm and also through apertures in the metallic straps 15,

so that by removing the nuts '16, from said bolts, said metallic straps '15 (which also may bearranged in shortsections corresponding withthe length of the transverse section of the diaphragm) may be removed. "The inner edge1of the inner vertical sec- I tion. of the diaphragm is fastened on the vestibule face plate 17, by means of screw studs 18,. set in said face plate and each provided'wit-h an aperture in its outer end to receive acotter pin or 'key. The outer endsof said studs extend through suitable apertures near the edge of the diaphragm and through apertures in the bars 19. channel bars may be constructed as set forth Said in my prior Patent No. 768,775, issued to me onthe 30th day of August,- 1904, or may ...be.constructed .in sections corresponding in section. a

"length'with one or more of the transverse diaphragm sections, 1f preferred.

Prefer ably, the outer and inner clamping members 8 and 9, at the top of the diaphragm extend continuously over the top and shoulders of the diaphragm each in one piece, and are united by means of the bolt' 11, as before described, with the upper ends of the clamping members for the upper transverse leg "The operation is as follows: Should it be desired. .to remove or renew any transverse sectionof the diaphragm for any reason, it"may'be accomplished by. releasmg the clamping' members and unstitching the sectionfl to be removed from the ends "of the adjacent sections, whereupoir said section may be taken cut intact and without disturbing any of .ihe other sections. The repaired section or a new section, is then returned. to place and stitched, stapled or otherwise secured as before described, to'

the ends of the adjacent sections, the clamping members-restored to place, the retaining strapsfor fastening the section -to the face plate are again secured, and the diaphragm is again complete. "Of course, while I have shown a diaphragmcomprisin U-shaped sections, it is to be understood that diaphragms con- "structed in accordion plaits as heretofore,

which erlap the upper ends of the.

. m transverse sections a repair as before described, in instance, of course, the inner edges of each fold, as well as the outer edges thereof, may be engaged by tthe clamping members such as descr bed, to permit ofready detachment and repair, and the indi vidual sections (more particularly at the bottom of'the legs, where damage most frequently occurs) are made sufficiently short to obviate the necessity of any considerable waste of material in, repairs.

Details of construction and arrangement may, of course, be varied. I have shown but a preferredconstruction and therefore do not purpose limiting myself in the patentto be'granted on this application, otherwise than neeessitated by'the prior art. I claim as my invention: 1. In a device of the class described outwardly directed U-shaped diaphragms, a plurality of detachable sections comprising each of said diaphragms, and releasable clamps engaging the diaphragms one to the other at the edges thereof.

2. In a railway diaphragm the diaphragm 'legs comprising str1ps of fabric arranged side by side, and clamps engaging corresponding edges of said strips together and embracing an inner clamping member arranged between said edges, an'outer clamplng member to engage over said edges, and bolts extending bet-ween sald edgesand engaging the clamping members andacting to draw the same mto gripping engagement.

with said edges.

3. A diaphragm comprismg relatlvely short strips of fabric arranged to form the diaphragm legs, and secured together with gaged between adjacent edges of said sectlons, an outer member inclosing said edges and said inner clamping'means, and bolts engaged through both and acting to draw the same together. 5. A sectional diaphragm embracing vertical sections of'fabric, each comprising a plurality of relatively short pieces arranged with the lower end of each-upper sectlon overlapping the adjacent end of a lower section and detachably engaged thereto, said diaphragm having the outer edges releasably attached to the. respective face plates,

clamping and stiffening means embracing an inner clamping member engaged between adjacent edges of said sections, an outer member inclosing said edges and said inner clamping means, bolts engaged through said outer and inner members and acting to draw the same together, and releasable clamps engaging the adjacent and corresponding edges of said vertical sections together.

(5. A diaphragm embracing a plurality of verticalsections of fabric bent to afford U- shaped, outwardly opening troughs around the top and at the legs of the diaphragm, each of said vertical sections comprising short lower leg sections, longer upper leg sections, shoulder'sections and top sections of fabric,all united. together so that the lower' end of one section overlaps the'upper end of the adjacent lower section, and clamps releasably engaging. the corresponding and adjacent edges of said vertical sections together to permit removal and replacement of any portion of the diaphragm.

7. A diaphragm of the class described embracing vertical diaphragm sections or units arranged Side by side and releasably united at their outwardly directed edges, the legs of said diaphragms near their bottoms being constructed to afford relatively short remov able sections. 1 I

8. Iii a diaphragm comprising vertical units comprising the legs, shouldersand top of the diaphragm, and each construct-ed ofa plurality of short pieces 'detachably engaged to form said unit, of means for engaging the adjacentedges of said unit's 'releasably together, comprising an inner-clamping memher for engagementbetween said edges, an

outerclampingmember to receive saidedges with the clamping means therebe'tween, and bolts for engaging the clamping means in place, said clamping means being constructed in sections with the lower end of each upper section overlapping the upper end of a lower section at a joint in the said unit, and rigidly engaged together by one of the clamping bolts extending through said ends.

' 9. In a diaphragm of the class described the combination with the vestibule and diaphragm face plates, of a diaphragm, of fabric engaged therebetween, sectional means for engag ng the outer edges of the. dla- .phragm on said face plate, and sectional gagement between said edges,-an.outer acute angle strip to receive said edges and the in-.

ner angle strip therein, bolts extending through the angles of saidstrips and between the edges of the fabric,,' nuts thereon in the inner' angle strip.

11. In a diaphragm of the class described the chaphragm leg embracing the upper portion of the leg anda short removable section affording the lower end of the leg, the upper end thereof o" rlapped by the lower end of the upper port n of the leg.

ln'testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HARRY H. SGHROYER.

W'itnesses:

LA RENCE REIBSTEIN;

GEORGE R. MOORE. 

